The Rise Of Chinese Nationalism

All The Asian Rage: It’s Not Just The Middle East. China’s On The March. -- Niall Ferguson, Time

Rage is all the rage. As we all know, radical Muslims are enraged about blasphemous videos and cartoons—so much so that an American ambassador to a country liberated by the United States was murdered by a howling mob in Libya.

I worry about that. I worry even more about this administration’s lame response to it. But perhaps we should all worry the most about a very different kind of rage: the Chinese rage that takes the form of a hyperventilating nationalism.

Another American ambassador recently had an encounter with Chinese rage. Fortunately, he was unharmed. Still, if I were Gary Locke—the U.S. ambassador in Beijing—I certainly would not have enjoyed being surrounded by 50 Chinese-nationalist protesters chanting: “Down with U.S. imperialism! China will win!”

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My Comment: Regular readers of this blog know that I was in China last week .... and yes .... I do concur with Niall Ferguson's observations that Chinese nationalism is on the rise. I have also been a regular visitor to China since the mid 1980s .... and so I have a certain perspective that most pundits do not have.

In the 1980s the Chinese were focused on economic and political reforms .... culminating in the Tienanmen Square Massacre (and the end of political reform) but also resulting in a dedicated push by the government for economic reforms and their own form of "capitalism". This economic push continued in the 1990s and in the first decade of the 21rst century .... but in recent years a more assertive and aggressive China is now making it's presence felt on the international scene.

The China that I knew was always focused on internal issues .... but now .... they are focused on international issues starting with all of their neighboring states. I can only assume that their new wealth .... coupled with a modern industrial base .... has given them the confidence to be this assertive .... and to pursue policies that they would never have dreamed about 30 years ago. But this assertiveness does have a cost .... and for China their nationalistic behavior is alienating all of their neighbors .... with the exception of North Korea.

I have always been telling my Chinese hosts that culturally the Chinese are unequal in the world .... that they have a history that goes back thousands of years ... and no one can match that. But I also tell them that politically China is still immature, and that they do not have the wisdom and experience that the U.S. and Europe have in handling international issues and crisis points. But the Chinese are not listening .... and neither is anyone else in Asia. Where this will lead to is anyone's guess .... but this is a direction that should concern everyone of us for if the "shit hits the fan" .... the impact will be immediate, and it will impact all of us.